West Lafayette, IN

[Jbarks]

I'm also curious about the housing situation near Purdue. I'm going to visit next Monday, so I can get a better idea of what it's like. I would ideally like to live by myself. I'm tired of having roommates. I've been looking around, and I've seen a few good options. The only problem is that everything seems to disappear so fast. I've heard great things about Franklin Park. Any advice on grad student living would be welcome. Thanks!

[nari27]

I have a verbal offer from Purdue and I'm waiting on an official one. I visited the campus last month for interviews and I thought it was a great place! I will say that most graduate students (not living in campus housing) live across the river in Lafayette, rather than the West Lafayette side of the river. I had some free time and just rode the bus system around, and it is fantastic (also free for Purdue students). You can get around very easliy and many apartment buildings are located right on the bus route. I haven't heard much negativity about Lafayette, but there are a few rail lines that run close to apartment buildings so you might want to check that out before you move in and there is a 2am train roaring past!

Edited March 16, 2012 by nari27

[CityFlips]

thanks! i'll take you up on your offer. ideally, i'd like to find a roommate and rent a two bedroom apartment in west lafayette.. but does it get too crowded with undergrad students in west lafayette? what are some good areas to live for grad students? i've heard that some grad students prefer to live in lafayette. would that entail driving to class, or do the public buses extend to lafayette as well? alternatively, i'm also considering purdue village, although it seems pricier. do you know anything about purdue village, or maybe even hawkins? i'll probably get a better idea after i visit the campus in 2 weeks.. but i'm just curious about what it's like in west lafayette. did you ever feel like it was out in the middle of nowhere? (i've got another offer from a school in chicago, but purdue is way more affordable, so i'm pretty confused.)

Sorry for the delayed response. I turned in my dissertation this week, so it was a little stressful. Let me address your questoins:

Lafayette and West Lafayette and the surrounding areas make up a relatively small areal I wouldn't worry too much about the exact location unless you want to rely on public transportation. The buses are free for studenst which is awesome. You will probably want to live somewhere with no bus transfer. If you live far enough away to need a bus transfer, you might as well just drive. Driving to campus is easy enough. A parking pass is something like $250 for a gravel lot pass which is what you will be eligible for your first year. After that, you can pay a little more for a garage pass which is really nice.

West Lafayette Housing: Most of my friends live in apartments in West Lafayette. there are some apartments that are primarily undergrads. You will likely be able to tell which ones those are by the price, amenitites, etc. If it's luxurious, has the word "lodge" in the title, or has a "parent's page" on their website, you probably don't want to live there. Willowbrook, Blackbird Farms, and Salem Court House are probably some of the best places for grad students. There are certainly others, but I have known peple in all of those places. The aparetments are nice, public transportation is easy, and you could bike to campus from all of these. Willowbrook and Blackbird Farms are really close to the trail system which is really nice for running and biking.

Lafayette Housing:

DOWNTOWN: I grew up down town in Lafayette. There are more and more apartments popping up in old houses and old buildings. Most of these would have character and have potential to be less safe if you pick the wrong street. Generally streets north of Ferry Street would not be very desirable. There are some streets south of South Street that are a little iffy, but you will probably be fine. Just don't be stupid. Most people I know who have apartments right around Main Street LOVE it. There is a bus called the trolly that goes between down town and campus every 15 minutes. There are several bars and cute restaurants down town, a farmers market all summer and fall, and other little events here and there. You will want to ask about parking for these apartments. Most have a spot, but the street parking is usually 2 hour parking from 7am to 5pm, so it could be a pain for visitors.

SOUTH SIDE: The south side of Lafayette revolves around Veteran's Memorial Parkway. It's practically another city. Not in distance though. It's literally a 12 minute drive to campus from the furthest apartments in this area. Everything is going to be around 5 years old or less, becuase it's all new development. Ther'es a Super Wal-Mart, several restaurants, nice big apartments, etc. I would actually highly recommend this area. It's going to be cheaper and more quiet. It would requier a car, but the money you save can be applied to your parking pass etc. There are a lot of cheap houses as well. If you are in a position to buy a house, you can find a cheap one becuase sadly...a lot in that area are up for quick sale. They are nice houses in nice neighborhoods. It's just a product of the time when a lot of young people got in over their heads financially. I have 2 friends who just bought houses becuase it was better for their family, dogs, etc and mortgage payments were cheaper than rent in some areas. This is also a good area if you have a significant other who wants to work in Indianapolis while you go to school at Purdue.

CAMPUS HOUSING

I haven't had any friends who live right on campus. At least not for more than a year. There are some nice new apartments going up, but they are of the variety with "parent pages" on the website. If you want to experience the whop whop whop sound of helicopter parents, go for it. The main bars are close to these apartments, so you will have the roudy crowd close by. If you're going to work in a lab, and experiements need tending on a Saturday morning, this is not the area for you. Chauncy Hill is the area I'm talking about. Grad housing on campus is less than idea. Hawkins is a dorm. It looks like a dorm, and feels like a dorm. There are shared kitchen spaces, but you won't get a kitchen of your own. You also have to share bathrooms. For the price of apartments in the area, it seems silly to live in Hawkins to me. Purdue Village is not ideal either. A lot of international students like living there because of the community they have developed. The chinese students developed a thriving garden which was awesome! Often there is room for families to live together. The facilities are not that nice though. Cinderblock buildings with small bedrooms and ok kitchens. It's Still a 15-20 minute walk to most areas on campus. I had a friend from China who really liked living in Purdue VIllage her first year. It was her first time to live far away from home, and she appreciated the community there. She moved to an apartment of her own for her second year. I think you can find cheaper apartments with more ammenities though in other areas of town.

I have never felt like the Greater Lafayette area was in the middle of no where. Lafayette is an easy 1 hour 15 minute drive from Indianapolis (1.5 hours to the airport) and about 2.5 hours from Chicago. I love being between the 2! You can do either as a day trip. My friends and I have driven to Chicago just to go out to dinner. We have cultural events down town as well as on campus. The public libraries are fantastic. Winters are unpredicable. Often very cold, but not Minnesota cold. Summers are hot and humid. You're going to be working 95% of the time anyway, so I wouldn't get too worked up about the social scene. We have one. It may not be the same scene as other places, but we have one.

Any more questions, just give me a shout!

[trina]

@CityFlips, thank you so much for all that information! Really helpful. This might be a dumb question, but is that $250 parking permit for the entire academic year? If so, sounds like a pretty good deal. And is parking easy to find? Are there designated parking areas, or is it street parking?

I'm hoping to find an apartment in West Lafayette.. I've been doing some research, and I really like Blackbird Farms and Franklin Park. But I will probably have to find a roommate first to defray the expenses. I live in the Chicagoland area now, so the weather isn't going to be a big deal for me. And I'm not much of a party animal either.. but I love the restaurant scene in Chicago.

[CityFlips]

@CityFlips, thank you so much for all that information! Really helpful. This might be a dumb question, but is that $250 parking permit for the entire academic year? If so, sounds like a pretty good deal. And is parking easy to find? Are there designated parking areas, or is it street parking?

I'm hoping to find an apartment in West Lafayette.. I've been doing some research, and I really like Blackbird Farms and Franklin Park. But I will probably have to find a roommate first to defray the expenses. I live in the Chicagoland area now, so the weather isn't going to be a big deal for me. And I'm not much of a party animal either.. but I love the restaurant scene in Chicago.

The parking pass is for the whole year. August to August. The pass will be for a "C" gravel lot. If you go to the transportation services website you can find more precise information. Many of the gravel lots are a little ways off campus - 15 minute walk to most main areas. I think that's why so many people just take a bus from their apartment. For your 2nd year, you can get a C-garage pass. You have to keep an eye out for this email during the spring of your first year. I think the deadline for garage applications is sometimg in March. Once you get a garage pass, you will be assigned a specific garage that is close to your academic building. The garage pass is more expensive, but I can't remember the price. I had a garage pass for one year, and then just for spring of a second year. I was a TA on top of my RA which means I was 3/4 time instead of 1/2 time funding. If you're 3/4 time, you can get an A pass and you can park just about anywhere! I have not had a pass this year, becuase I live down town. There is a Purdue App for Android and iPhone that has all the bus schedules in real time. In other words, I can look to see if my bus is going to arrive in 2 minutes or 14 minutes. I've done just fine without a pass all year. I also ride my bike from down town when the weather is nice. We do NOT have a bike friendly community, but I figure the more of us who ride the better it will get.

What program did you apply to? Good luck. I think you will like it here.

[trina]

Thanks again! This is all great information.. I wouldn't even have known where to start looking. I applied to the clinical Masters program in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences. I'll be going to visit on Friday, and I'm pretty excited!

[MadScience]

Hey all! Going to be attending Purdue for my graduate studies, any fellow grad cafers planning to attend as well?

[Jacie_ChE]

Hey all! Going to be attending Purdue for my graduate studies, any fellow grad cafers planning to attend as well?

 

I just offically accepted the offer yesterday....eek!  

[abcd1]

Hello, 

 

I am an international student and would be attending purdue this year. Need some info regarding living costs and housing. Would appreciate if someone can guide me a little about some cheap housing options. I will be receiving a modest stipend and want to get a rough idea about how much I should expect to spend on housing and food. 

 

Thanks

[MaudDib]

So, I'm considering Purdue for chemistry graduate school. I'm curious about the weather. I'll be coming from a southern state.

 

Has anyone from the warmer parts of the country, like the south or southeast, maybe Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, etc., moved to West Lafayette? What do you think of the weather?

 

Also: How "walkable" is the area around campus? Is it conceivable that I could live somewhere near campus and be able to walk to the grocery store, bank, etc. ?

Edited February 14, 2014 by MaudDib

[DSA]

I've been accepted to Purdue, and tomorrow and Friday I'm heading out to visit the city and campus. Any recommendations for places I should check out, either on or off campus, either side of the river? I was planning on driving around the downtown Lafayette area to see what the area's like for apartments. I also know there's a Third Friday event on that day; anything I should look at in particular?

[Sash23]

I've been accepted to Purdue, and tomorrow and Friday I'm heading out to visit the city and campus. Any recommendations for places I should check out, either on or off campus, either side of the river? I was planning on driving around the downtown Lafayette area to see what the area's like for apartments. I also know there's a Third Friday event on that day; anything I should look at in particular?

Can you give us an update? I might be going to Purdue this fall. Only really familiar with California and NY. Never been to the Midwest.

Edited February 25, 2014 by SaschaA

[DSA]

Can you give us an update? I might be going to Purdue this fall. Only really familiar with California and NY. Never been to the Midwest.

Sure! Well, first things first, if you've only been to the East/West Coasts, then Lafayette will definitely be a change of pace. I come from Kansas City and in comparison Purdue is smack dab in the middle of nowhere. When I spoke with various students in the CS program, they all described the city as something like boring. However, they did also mention that there were a good number of student groups and some decent activities. It seems like if there's anything going on, it's going to be associated with the university in some way, rather than some cities where there are more independent events outside of it.

 

However, when speaking with some of the faculty, they mentioned some more events that were in Lafayette, especially regarding the arts and music. 

 

There were a number of interesting restaurants near campus, though -- if you're there I recommend checking out the Blue Nile, which is a Middle Eastern restaurant that's quite good. 

 

Lafayette's an hour from Indianapolis and two hours from Chicago, so I hear that weekend trips are pretty common.

 

The campus itself seems very nice, and the facilities of the computer science department looked up to date and matching what I'm looking for. The faculty was really friendly and the students' projects were fascinating, and it seems like the CS department is more cooperative than competitive, which is a plus. I also took a quick tour of the new campus rec center and it's a really nice facility there, and I'm pleased at the prospect of being able to improve my fitness there.  I did hear about a Student Outing Club that does camping and hiking and stuff which actually sounds like a blast, even though I wouldn't normally be into that sort of thing.

 

In short, I think my trip to Lafayette confirmed my initial thoughts: the city is relatively quiet and not a cultural hub, but it's got enough. "Adequate" is the term I'd use. I'm not particularly someone who needs a lot of things to do in a city, and my goal with grad school is to build up my knowledge and get some research experience. It sounds like a lot of the opportunities for interesting activities come not from the places in Lafayette but from the students and the student groups.

 

Let me know if you have any more questions! 

 

EDIT: Looking back I think my post sounded more negative or ambivalent than I wanted it to sound. The distinct impressions I felt while there were largely positive. I found myself really excited to speak with the people in the CS department. But I do think that my excitement is more towards Purdue, and not towards the city it resides in.

Edited February 26, 2014 by DSA

[Sash23]

Thanks a lot! Didn't really see your post as that negative. It just confirms what I've read about Purdue/West Lafayette. I'm not 100% sure I'll be there this fall (mostly because of funding) but I think it's worth the experience. Hope it's okay if I ask you more questions at some point in case it works out.

[SimpleSwoon]

Hi everyone!

 

I'm going to be a new graduate student at Purdue this fall. I'd like to live off campus as cheaply as possibly (within reason); however, I'm currently living abroad, and I won't return to the U.S. until the beginning of August, so I'm a bit worried about how I am going to figure out my living arrangements. I'd really like to find a like-minded, or at least tolerable, roommate or two to share an apartment with in order to cut down on living costs, but I don't know a single person at Purdue yet...

 

Is there anyone else in a similar situation who is looking for a kind, responsible, decently-tidy roommate for the 2014-2015 academic year?

 

Or does anyone have suggestions about how to go about finding potential roommates?

 

Any specific suggestions about decent, inexpensive apartments (or apartments to avoid) in Lafayette/West Lafayette would be greatly appreciated as well! 

 

Thanks! 

 

Paige

[Sash23]

Seconding Paige's request!

It looks like I'm going to start my graduate studies at Purdue this fall and - since I'm an international student - I won't be there before early/mid-August.

Any advice on which areas are best and which I should avoid? I don't want to live on campus (mostly to escape drunk freshmen on the weekends). From looking at Craigslist, it seems like I should be expecting to pay at least $350/400 a month (in a shared apt.). Can anyone confirm that?

Also, how bike-friendly is West Lafayette/Lafayette? Not planning on getting a car there and don't necessarily want to rely on public transportation. 

Thanks everyone!

[DSA]

I'm going to be starting at Purdue in May (moving in mid-April) so I'm also trying to figure out what places to look at for housing. I'm still figuring it out, but what I've been doing is compiling notes from all the gradcafe threads about (West/)Lafayette.

 

In addition, I saw this link to an official student housing survey from 2012; there's some good info in here: http://www.gradschool.purdue.edu/housing/Housing%20Survey%20Final%20Results%202012.pdf

 

As for being bike-friendly, the areas I'm looking at haven't been too bike-friendly, just because I'm strongly considering living in Lafayette instead of West Lafayette. The impression I got while visiting (if current/past students can confirm/deny this, it would be helpful) is that the areas that would be close enough to campus to easily bike there are also the areas that are so populated with UGs that wanting to escape drunk freshmen on the weekends would be a mutually exclusive goal. As for me I'm planning on getting a car.

[Sash23]

Thank you for the link! I'm still in the early stages of figuring everything out myself.

I won't be able to get a car, so getting a bike or using public transportation are kinda the only options for me. From what I've been reading it seems like grad students tend to move to Lafayette while the undergraduate population mostly lives in West Lafayette. Would be great if you could let us know about the housing situation there once you settled in and everything!

[Leuco]

Hey all - been at Purdue for 5 years now (4 years undergrad, 1 as tech), and can give you some info.

 

I think as a graduate student, I'd prefer to live in Lafayette, just over the bridge.  I know a grad student that lives is West Lafayette, near Grant Street (near the Purdue power plant), and another that owns a house out near Wal-Mart on 52.  It totally depends what you want to do.

 

I am not sure about the bike situation around here.  A number of people bike, but I don't think the situation is the best.  There aren't any dedicated bike lanes that I've noticed.  Bike riding on campus isn't bad, but I am not sure how getting here would be.

 

Bus: I take the bus every day.  My bus line runs pretty late, and comes about every half-hour.  If you live in downtown Lafayette, the bus will also run rather late, and come every 10-15 minutes.  (Check gocitybus.com for bus information).  In my opinion, the bus system isn't bad, but I come from somewhere with pretty much no bus system, so I don't really have room to speak

 

Places to avoid, undergrad-wise?  I think the closer to campus you get, the more undergrads are there.  If you live anywhere near what we call Chauncey, there will be a ton of undergrads, especially in the evenings and weekends, particularly if there is a home football game.  (Chauncey is the area near "Harry's Chocolate Shop," "Jake's Roadhouse," and "Where Else?" (three pretty popular undergrad bars).  Another popular place for undergrads is near the Cactus (a bar/club), and that will probably get pretty loud on Thursday-Saturday evenings.

Any other questions, lemme know!

[Sash23]

Thanks for all the info! I will do some more research on basically everything once funding goes through (and annoy you with some more questions then).

[DSA]

Hi again! I'm back with more questions, this time about housing.

I'm a new grad student who is starting as a research assistant at the beginning of May, so I'm needing to find a place to move in around the end of April. I've been looking for lofts, studios, and one-bedroom apartments around the Lafayette area.

I'm currently living in the Kansas City area, and while I was able to visit Purdue last month and get a sense of the area, I didn't tour any apartments at that time. I admit I'm flying blind here and, as this is my first time choosing an apartment in a completely new city, I could use all the guidance I can get. How do most people do this process when going into a new city?

My upper bound on rent is ~$600/month. I have no problem with being away from campus as I will have a car (plus I've heard that grad students may prefer to get away from the loud partying near-campus places). Access to bus lines would be nice, though.

In general, my priorities are less on space and perks like pools (that's what the campus rec center is for), and much more on general reliability and a sense that the landlords aren't completely taking advantage of me. Plus, I'd prefer not to deal with setting up roommates this early on while I'm still getting my bearings.

I've been consulting the Purdue graduate housing survey, city guides on thegradcafe.com, and some online reviews. I've started narrowing down a list, and want to know: what have your heard/experienced from these places?

• Basham
• Bay Pointe
• Beau Jardin
• Blackbird Farms
• Burgett Rentals
• Chauncey Village
• Franklin Park
• Livesay Management
• Milakis Rentals
• O'Neil Property Management
• Pheasant Run
• Southridge Commons
• WH Long - Shoshone

Or if there are some I'm missing that I should really check out, let me know! If you could help me out with any recommendations (or horror stories), it would be really helpful. Thanks!

[Rolling Circles]

I will be living at River Walk apartments come the Fall. On your list, I looked at Blackbird Farms and Franklin park as options.  I wanted to go with Blackbird Farms but it is kind of expensive.  The Armory in Lafayette looks nice as well.  I also looked at Crestview North as a possibility.

[lolololo55]

I've been looking at those places you are talking about and as an international student I don't really get how to apply for housing. Is necessary to do it now or can you just wait until you arrive there (in my case, in August)? Also, can I apply to 2-3 bedrooms appartments in order to share with roomates? If so, how can I look for roomates or people willing to share an appartment? Thank you! I'm lost  

[Rolling Circles]

Applying for an apartment as soon as possible is always preferable as it will guarantee you a place to live come August. If you wait, complexes will fill up and have no rooms available to you. This will severely limit your options of living. You can apply for any size apartment you want.  Some places (typically places catering to the undergraduate community) around colleges do roommate matching. It is basically like living in a dorm.   

[lolololo55]

Applying for an apartment as soon as possible is always preferable as it will guarantee you a place to live come August. If you wait, complexes will fill up and have no rooms available to you. This will severely limit your options of living. You can apply for any size apartment you want.  Some places (typically places catering to the undergraduate community) around colleges do roommate matching. It is basically like living in a dorm.   

 

Thank you so much for the info!

 

And, as I haven't made a decision yet, can I apply and then withdraw my application for the housing if I decide not to go there?